Chinese actors being used only for publicity
Lu Han represents a kind of positive force and optimism. That’s the major trend.
BEIJING: Showbiz insiders are increasingly agitated over how Hollywood is using Chinese actors only for publicity.
Eager to score at the box office, Hollywood producers have been using Chinese actors as spokespersons, although they were given only minor roles in the movies.
Examples of such exploitation abound.
These include Lu Han’s Star Wars promotion, Li Yifeng’s Batman vs Superman to PGOne’s Spiderman: Homecoming and most recently, Wang Kai’s advertorial role in Blade Runner 2049.
Remember Fan Bingbing? She had only a cameo role in Iron Man 3. That didn’t stop the movie producers from using her as a key spokesperson to make headway in the mainland China market.
Hollywood is increasingly looking to overseas markets to recoup their investments. In recent years, the massive China market, the world’s second largest, has become pivotal
Maggie Lu , Hill + Knowlton Shanghai managing director
for the success of Hollywood blockbusters.
In many cases, movies heavy on computer animation that perform dismally in North America inexplicably become massive hits in China, swinging the movies from the ranks of losers to blockbusters.
Chinese audiences remain fixated on action movies featuring state- of-the-art special effects, and the storyline often doesn’t matter.
But having a celebrity even in a minor role helps very much.
Additionally, most moviegoers in China are swayed by online reviews, and online buzz, such as those on Weibo and Douban. com.
A movie that trends online usually makes it big at the box office.
For example., Weibo servers crashed when singer-actor Lu Han announced that he has a new girlfriend.
That same huge popularity catapulted Lu to the second spot on the new Forbes China Celebrities List with an estimated US$ 31 million ( RM133 million) in salary, endorsements and other revenue in the 12 months to June 30.
Hill + Knowlton Shanghai managing director Maggie Lu said: “One key trend in the past year is an expansion of the celebrities’ personal assets.”
Advertisers in the past measured assets by the number of fans “because the fan is the major thing that will bring the purchases and followers,” said Lu.
“Now,” she said, “the assets should have multiple dimensions. The personality of the celebrities should be part of the story of the brand and company, rather than just focusing on his or her fans.” And so besides being known for a stage or film presence, celebrities nowadays are also likely to branch out into areas such as corporate social responsibility campaigns of interest.
On Lu Han’s growing appeal, she said: “Lu Han represents a kind of positive force and optimism. That’s the major trend.”